Modern agricultural practices have enabled food production to meet — and even outpace — demands from growing populations. But the rapid growth in production has often come at the cost of significant land and water degradation, biodiversity losses and increased greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
Source: International Potato Center (CIP)
To many, crop breeding may sound very scientific and technical. But there are key social aspects to it, too. As we mark International Women’s Day, let’s examine the links between gender and the science of breeding.
Handheld device being deployed in the wheat physiology process. Source: Alfredo Sáenz, CIMMYT
A woman cassava farmer in the Northern Region of Ghana. Credit: Neil Palmer (CIAT)
There is an urgent need for public breeding programs to prioritize and focus their efforts. Excellence in Breeding (EiB) is working with CGIAR partners to identify market segments and align breeding pipelines to them — with the goal of increasing food security and improving livelihoods.
Breeders, economists, gender specialists, and food technologists are gathering together to advance new approaches to breeding crop varieties that people will want.
Approaches that delivered the Green Revolution are now surpassed by more advanced methodologies and technologies. And adoption of these has moved too slowly in public sector breeding. CGIAR Excellence in Breeding (EiB) is tackling this head-on by working across partners to accelerate the modernization of breeding programs.